


Blank Slate

by sgteam14283



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Camp Nanowrimo, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-21 01:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15546561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgteam14283/pseuds/sgteam14283
Summary: The Shepard Twins were at a crossroads: do they stay with the Reds or risk it all to start over?





	Blank Slate

**Author's Note:**

> Am currently obsessed with the idea of Shepard Twins, because having two Sheps save the galaxy/causing havoc across the Milky Way is certainly an entertaining idea (plus it gives the Ryder Twins something to really look up to). This was written during Camp NaNo and was a fun quick thing to do. Don't own anything you recognize, Enjoy!

Rose Shepard stood on the roof of the abandoned building, keeping lookout. Although for the last hour the street had been deserted, no one wanted to be out in the slums of Chicago-not if they could help it. But Ashton wanted them to collect the payment tonight and when the leader of their Red gang said jump, her and Jason asked how high.

Turning around, she saw Jason’s punch land right in the man’s stomach and he doubled over before coughing up blood. “C’mon Jace, he’s suffered enough.”

“He has to learn to pay on time Rose.”

“He _also_ has to be alive for us to collect next time.” 

Jason shot his twin a look that said he wasn’t happy, but shoved the man to the ground.

Walking towards them, Rose stopped short of the man. Opening her cracked omni-tool she waited until it showed that the payment had gone through.

“Next time we won’t be as nice.” she said while turning on a booted heel and heading towards the door. The crunch of gravel behind told her that Jason was following and soon they were headed back to the building where Ashton ran his crew.

Stepping inside the run down apartment complex, they were halfway down the hall when Rose called out, “Jason.”

He turned at the panic laced word to see his twin glowing blue. “C’mon.” he said, gently shoving her into an empty apartment. Shutting the door Jason took Rose’s hands and, ignoring the tingle of kinetic energy, drew her closer to him. “Breathe.”

“If Ashton finds out-”

“He won’t.” Jason interrupted, knowing that last time those thoughts had Rose nearly flinging him across the room. 

“When he found out that Katrin did he-”

“He. Won’t.” Jason looked Rose in the eye for a second. “Just breathe okay? In slowly, out slowly.”

Rose clenched her mouth, but nodded-closing her eyes as she started to control her breathing. Eventually the biotics dissipated and she was feeling drained. Leaning into the solid wall of muscle, she wondered how they were going to solve this. They were flaring more and more when she least expected it. And when Ashton would finally be around…well Rose didn’t want to think about it.

“You good?” Jason asked as he wrapped his arms around Rose and tried to be the rock that she needed him to be right now.

“ _If those implants weren’t so fucking expensive this wouldn’t be a problem._ ” he thought, knowing they were going to have to find a solution soon. There was a reason Ashton had remained a leader in the Reds for this long and it wasn’t because he had a nice personality.

“Yeah. Although I could inhale two pizzas right now.” Rose said, her voice muffled by Jason’s chest. Feeling her brother laugh, she smiled and knew that the worry had passed for the moment.

“How about the rest of the noodles?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” Rose grinned as she took a step back and opened the door to go back into the hallway.

Getting back to their fifth floor apartment in no time, Jason was silent as Rose all but inhaled the remainder of the leftovers and collapsed on the rickety bed pushed up against the wall. Stretching out on the tattered couch, he opened his omni-tool and scrolled through the extranet. Something, anything to distract him from the worry eating away at him. It had been him and Rose since they were young enough to remember, being in an orphanage until they finally ran away and tried to survive on the streets by themselves.

Then they got introduced to Ashton and his crew. 

Jason knew that they owed Ashton for the last six years, having a place off the streets and somewhat decent food, but at the same time Jason didn’t know if this kind of life was sustainable. He’d seen more than one person leave the apartment building only to find out later that they’d been killed trying to smuggle red sand across the lake or Ashton got into one of his twitchy moods and ‘cleaned house.'

Realizing he wasn’t going to solve anything at this time of night, he closed his omni-tool but not before catching an ad for the Systems Alliance. 

—

Rose made her way towards Ashton’s room on the ground floor to see if he needed her and Jason today. If not then she was going to head over towards Millennium Park and see if she couldn’t lift a few credit chits, they were always short on credits and she needed some new clothes.

“-hiding something. I can tell how she stiffens up when I show up unannounced.”

Rose paused short of the half-open door, curious as to who Ashton was talking about. It never hurt to know what was going on with him. Not making a sound she listened on the rest of the conversation.

“I’d think that she was planning to double-cross me, but she doesn’t have it in her. Neither would Jason, they’re both loyal to each other and-”

A door slammed open and drowned out the rest of the sentence. Not wanting to get caught, Rose knew she had to walk in on Ashton. Taking a deep breath she knocked loudly, not waiting for a reply before stepping inside. 

“Ashton.” she said with what she hoped was a nonchalant smile. Knowing that if that didn’t distract him than her low-cut shirt would. That’s what Rose had learned early on, know your assets and use them to your advantage. 

That way no one held all the power.

“Shepard, I was just talking about you.”

“All good I hope.” Rose raised an eyebrow and tried to remain calm. “You need me and Jason for anything today?”

“Not yet. I’ll contact you if anything comes up. I know I can depend on the Shepard twins to get the job done.”

“Later then.” Glad to get out the room Rose turned around to leave, knowing that her and Jason were going to have to talk about maybe having a back-up plan if Ashton got too suspicious.

“Hold on a second Rose.” 

She froze and slowly turned around, hoping that her biotics wouldn’t choose this time to respond to her rising emotions. “Think of something for us to do that fast?” 

“You and Jason are almost eighteen.”

Rose nodded, “Yeah.”

“I think it’s time the three of us had a conversation about your future with the Reds.” 

Rose tilted her head while staring at the man and wondered what his game was. This combined with what she’d overheard made her feel like whatever he wanted to discuss might not be good. But if she let Ashton see her fear he’d exploit it and it wouldn’t end well for either her or Jason. “I think…that’s a good idea.” she said slowly, trying not to give anything away.

“Good.” 

The dismissal was obvious and Rose left, her heart still trying to pound its way out of her chest.

—

Jason stopped in the middle of the path as Rose finished telling him about her meeting with Ashton this morning. “A conversation?”

“That’s what he said.”

Frowning slightly Jason wondered what Ashton had meant by that. It was clear he was getting suspicious, but he didn’t know what they were hiding. Yet. “ _Maybe we can work with that._ ” he thought while staring across the park where people were enjoying the nice spring day. They had two weeks until they turned eighteen.

Two weeks to figure something out.

Mind busy, Jason watched as Rose deftly picked a number of credit chits from parents busy watching their kids and tourists trying to figure out what they should see next. Then he spotted a cop starting to become a little to interested in what was going on and signaled Rose that they should leave.

Walking into the heart of the city, Jason spotted an Alliance recruitment poster by a shuttle stop and was reminded of the ad he’d seen the other night. “What about the Alliance?” he blurted out.

Rose raised an eyebrow at Jason’s question, “What?”

“The Alliance…it could be our way out. And you’d finally get an implant. We wouldn’t have to go around hoping Ashton doesn’t find out you have biotics and sells you to the highest bidder.”

Rose was silent for a few city blocks until she said, “They’ll give me an implant and send me to a training facility.”

“Then someone else’ll finally get to hear you snore at night.”

Anna tried to look annoyed and give Jason a playful hit on the chest but he blocked it with his arms and a grin. “Ashton won’t just let us leave.”

“So we fudge our birthday to tomorrow and say the orphanage lost our certificates. We wouldn’t be completely lying.” 

“We’re hardly poster material for the _Alliance_ Jace. Didn’t finish school, I have _no_ idea what I can do with my biotics. How do you know they’ll take us?”

“The fact that you’re biotic has you practically in already. And so we didn’t finish high school, who fucking cares? You handled the books for Ashton for awhile right?”

Rose nodded, “Yeah.”

“I overheard him saying once that there was hardly any skimming when you did.” Jason said as he pulled them to the edge of the sidewalk. “We’re survivors.”

Rose looked at Jason as he spoke and saw that he was serious. “You really think this could work?”

“What other choice do we have? He’ll find us eventually. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to let him sell you to some sleaze who’ll probably get you arrested sooner rather than later. Or worse.”

Rose knew that Jason was right, for all that she hated the idea. They’d learned quickly that anyone in a uniform wasn’t to be trusted, that to get the attention of one would just land you in even more trouble. But they were short on ideas and at least they could get off the planet eventually.

There wasn’t much back at the apartment that they’d miss and with the credit chits could find a cheap motel to stay at until they shipped out. “ _Better to suddenly disappear than be around for them to figure it out._ ” she thought while biting her lip. 

Taking a breath she nodded, “Where’s the nearest recruitment office?”

Jason felt himself relax with relief and he slung an arm around Rose’s shoulder, “I think we can find one pretty close.”

Rose shot Jason a look, “You already looked one up didn’t you?”

“While you were lifting credits.”

Shaking her head, Rose took off her omni-tool and stretched out her hand, waiting for Jason to give his to her. As they walked by a trash can, she dumped them in without too much regret. “Alright Jace, let’s do this.”


End file.
